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That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
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AfterHow Much Does Duct Repair & Sealing Cost in Fort Lauderdale?
Duct repair and sealing in Fort Lauderdale typically runs between $350 and $1,450 for most homes, with the average job landing around $800 to $1,000. Small leaks, disconnected sections, and minor seal failures sit at the lower end, while whole-home sealing with mastic and access work in tight attic spaces pushes toward the higher end. The best way to get a firm number is a free estimate, and Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale writes the price down before any work begins.
Duct Repair & Sealing Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s what we’re seeing across Fort Lauderdale, Victoria Park, Coral Ridge, and the surrounding neighborhoods in 2026. These are real ranges pulled from jobs our crews run in this market, not national averages.
| Service | Typical Range | What It Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Single duct leak repair | $175 – $350 | Locating and sealing one leak, typically at a joint or boot connection |
| Disconnected duct reconnection | $200 – $400 | Reattaching a separated section, checking adjacent joints |
| Minor leak sealing (2-4 access points) | $350 – $650 | Mastic sealing at multiple joints, aluminum tape where needed |
| Moderate sealing (partial system) | $650 – $1,000 | Sealing a significant portion of supply or return ductwork |
| Whole-home duct sealing | $950 – $1,450 | Full system inspection, mastic sealing at all accessible joints, retest |
| Duct section replacement | $300 – $700 per section | Replacing damaged flex duct or a crushed metal section |
What moves the price up or down is fairly predictable. Access is the big one. Attics in Fort Lauderdale are hot, tight, and often full of blown insulation, which means more time on the job. If your ducts run through a crawlspace or a finished soffit, expect the cost to climb because the technician has to work slower and more carefully. The number of leaks matters too. A single joint leaking at the plenum is a different job than a system where every takeoff has dried-out tape and separated boots. And the age of the ductwork counts. Older homes in Sailboat Bend or Riverside Park often have hard-pipe ductwork that has shifted over decades. Sealing that properly takes more mastic, more time, and more care than a newer flex-duct system in a suburban home.
One thing to understand about South Florida specifically: humidity makes duct sealing more urgent here than in most markets. When conditioned air leaks into a hot, humid attic, it creates condensation at the leak point. That condensation soaks insulation, rusts metal collars, and feeds mold. We’ve pulled apart boot connections in Fort Lauderdale attics where the insulation above the leak was literally dripping. A $400 sealing job today can prevent a $2,000 insulation replacement and mold remediation next year. That’s not a scare tactic. That’s what the humidity in this city does to leaky ductwork.
What Affects Duct Repair & Sealing Pricing in Fort Lauderdale
You’ll see quotes across a wide range in Broward County, and there’s usually a reason. Here’s what actually moves the number:
- Access difficulty. Attics in older Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods like Colee Hammock and Croissant Park often have low clearance, narrow scuttle holes, and decades of blown-in insulation. A technician working on their back in a 140-degree attic is slower and more careful than one working in a spacious suburban attic. Labor hours drive the price.
- Number of leaks and access points. A system with one obvious leak at a plenum boot is a quick fix. A system where every joint shows dried tape, separated foil, or rusted collars is a different scope. We price per access point and per linear foot of sealed duct, so the total reflects the actual condition of your system.
- Duct material and age. Flex duct, rigid metal, and duct board all seal differently. Flex duct from the 90s often has failed inner liners that no amount of mastic will fix. If sections need replacement, that’s a higher line item than sealing alone.
- Mastic vs. tape. Mastic is the correct material for permanent duct sealing. It costs more in labor because it has to be worked into the joint, but it doesn’t dry out and peel like foil tape. Any quote that’s suspiciously low is probably tape-and-go. Tape fails in South Florida humidity within a few years. Mastic, applied correctly, lasts the life of the ductwork.
- Post-sealing verification. The Garrison Standard, which Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale operates under, requires the technician to inspect and verify every sealed joint before the job is closed. That takes an extra 20 to 30 minutes. Companies that skip verification can quote lower and still leave leaks behind.
Duct Repair & Sealing Cost by Neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale
We work across the entire city, and we see some pattern differences from neighborhood to neighborhood. Not because pricing changes by zip code, but because housing stock does.
Victoria Park and Colee Hammock
These are mostly homes built between the 1940s and 1970s, many with original hard-pipe ductwork or early flex duct retrofits. Expect more access challenges and more joints that haven’t been touched in 50 years. Typical sealing jobs here run $700 to $1,200.
Coral Ridge and Imperial Point
Mid-century homes with a mix of rigid duct and flex. Access tends to be a bit better, but the systems are aging. Most jobs fall into the $600 to $1,000 range.
Weston and western suburbs
Newer construction, often 1990s to 2010s, with flex duct in accessible attics. Leaks tend to be fewer and easier to reach. You’ll usually see $350 to $800 jobs out this way.
Rio Vista and Las Olas
Larger homes, often with multiple systems. Bigger square footage means more ductwork and more potential leak points. Whole-home sealing on a 4,000-square-foot house in Rio Vista can run $1,200 to $1,800 or more.
How to Save on Duct Repair & Sealing
Saving money on duct sealing doesn’t mean finding the cheapest bid. Cheap bids in this trade usually mean tape instead of mastic, skipped verification, or a technician who doesn’t show. The way to actually save money is to avoid paying twice.
- Seal the whole system once. If you have three visible leaks, you likely have five or six hidden ones. Paying for a partial job now and another partial job in eight months costs more than doing the whole accessible system once, correctly. We’ll tell you honestly if your system only needs a few joints done, but most Fort Lauderdale homes with visible leaks have systemic leakage.
- Check your insulation after sealing. Leaking ducts in a humid attic often damage the insulation around them. If you’re going to be in the attic sealing ducts anyway, it’s cheaper to address compromised insulation in the same trip than to schedule a separate visit.
- Ask about the warranty before you pay. Every duct sealing job at Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If a sealed joint fails within a year, we come back and fix it at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s not a verbal promise. It’s on the written estimate. A one-year written guarantee saves you money because any failure within that window is not your problem.
- Get a written price before work starts. The Garrison Standard requires a written price before anything gets touched. No add-ons at the door, no “we found something else” upcharges. You’ll know exactly what the job costs before we open a single access panel.
- Use a free estimate to compare honestly. Our estimates are free, and the number we write down is the number you’ll pay. Call (754) 354-3644 to set one up. When you compare quotes, compare scope and material, not just the bottom line.
Repair vs. Replace: Which Costs More in Fort Lauderdale?
Most homeowners ask us this directly, so here’s the straight answer. Repair and sealing costs $350 to $1,450 for a typical home. Full duct replacement in Fort Lauderdale runs $3,500 to $8,000 depending on the size of the home and the accessibility of the attic. The two are not competing options for most people. They’re sequential.
Here’s the rule of thumb we give every homeowner before we even look at the system: if the ductwork is less than 15 years old and has localized leaks, seal it. If the ductwork is 20-plus years old, has failed inner liners, rusted collars, or has been chewed by rodents, replacement is the honest answer. Sealing 25-year-old flex duct that’s already collapsing from the inside is throwing money at a system that’s done.
Roy Castellanos, who leads our Fort Lauderdale operation, puts it this way: “We’d rather tell you the ductwork is done and walk away from a sealing job than take your money and leave you with a system that fails next summer. The guarantee doesn’t mean much if we’re guaranteeing bad ductwork.” That’s the standard we run on. If your ducts can be sealed, we’ll seal them and stand behind the work for a year. If they can’t, we’ll tell you on the estimate, in writing, with the reasons spelled out.
For a fuller look at what’s involved in this service, see our Duct Repair & Sealing in Fort Lauderdale page. And if you’re just starting to think about the air moving through your home, our home page will orient you to how we work.
Why Duct Sealing Matters More in Fort Lauderdale Than Almost Anywhere Else
This is not filler. The climate here makes leaky ducts more expensive than they are in most of the country. Fort Lauderdale averages over 60 inches of rain a year, and the humidity sits above 70% almost every day from May through October. Your attic, where most of your ductwork lives, is routinely 120 to 150 degrees in the summer.
Here’s what happens when conditioned air leaks into that environment. The cold air hits the hot, humid attic air, and moisture condenses out of the air at the leak point. That condensation soaks the insulation around the duct, drips onto the drywall below, and eventually rusts the metal collars and boot connections. We’ve opened attics in Plantation and Davie where the insulation above a leaking boot was black with mold and weighed three times what it should from absorbed water.
Sealing the leak stops the condensation. That’s the real payoff. It’s not just about the 10 to 15 percent of your cooling that’s escaping into the attic. It’s about preventing the slow water damage that turns a $500 sealing job into a much larger remediation project.
The equipment we use for this work matters. We run negative-air machines from Nikro and rotary brush systems from Rotobrush on jobs where cleaning and sealing happen together. When we seal, we use mastic designed for HVAC applications, applied at every accessible joint and takeoff. For filtration work alongside sealing or cleaning, we use products from Honeywell and Aprilaire. These are the same tools commercial HVAC crews use on large buildings. They’re not hardware-store gear, and they make a difference in how long the seal holds.
What the 365-Day Done Right Promise Actually Covers
Most companies say they guarantee their work. Very few put it in writing with a specific term and a specific remedy. Here’s what we mean when we say our duct sealing is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise:
Every joint we seal is covered for a full year from the date of the job. If a sealed joint fails within that year, we come back and make it right at no charge. The second visit is free, including a free second visit to inspect and re-seal. We don’t prorate it, we don’t argue about whether it was “our fault,” and we don’t ask you to pay a trip fee. The promise is written on the estimate before you agree to the work, and our technicians are required to work under The Garrison Code, which means showing up inside the quoted window, pricing in writing, completing the job by the book, and leaving the site clean.
That last part matters more than most people expect. Duct sealing is attic work. It’s hot, it’s dusty, and it’s easy to leave a mess. We treat the attic floor, the access point, and your living space as part of the job site. The site gets cleaned before we leave. If we tracked insulation through your hallway, we clean it up. That’s not a courtesy. It’s the standard.
How Much Does It Cost to Seal Ducts Without Replacing Them?
Sealing without replacement in Fort Lauderdale runs $350 to $1,450 depending on how much of the system needs work. The cost includes locating the leaks, cleaning the joint surfaces so the mastic bonds, applying mastic at every accessible leak, and verifying the seal. There’s no equipment cost line item, no hidden material surcharge. The estimate covers labor, material, and the year-long guarantee.
If you’re comparing bids and one comes in at $199 for “whole-house duct sealing,” ask what material they’re using. Anyone quoting that number is using foil tape, which will fail in a Fort Lauderdale attic within two or three summers. We’d rather lose the bid than do the job wrong.
Do You Need a Permit for Duct Sealing in Fort Lauderdale?
Generally, no. Duct sealing and repair on existing ductwork does not require a permit in Fort Lauderdale or unincorporated Broward County. Full duct replacement can trigger permit requirements depending on the scope, but sealing, reconnection, and minor section replacement typically don’t. We’ll tell you on the estimate if anything about your job falls into permit territory, but for the vast majority of sealing jobs, you’re looking at a same-week service visit with no municipal paperwork involved.
How Long Does Duct Sealing Take in Fort Lauderdale?
Most sealing jobs run 3 to 6 hours. A single leak is often under 2 hours. A whole-home seal on a larger house in Rio Vista or Harbor Beach can take a full day. The time includes locating the leaks, accessing the attic, applying mastic, allowing the mastic to skin over, and verifying every joint. We schedule within a quoted window and show up inside it. That’s part of The Garrison Code.
FAQs – Duct Repair & Sealing Cost in Fort Lauderdale
How much does duct repair cost in Fort Lauderdale?
Duct repair in Fort Lauderdale typically costs $175 to $700 depending on the nature of the repair. A single leak at a joint or boot connection runs $175 to $350, while reconnecting a separated section or replacing a damaged section runs $300 to $700. Every repair at Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale is covered in writing for a year. Call (754) 354-3644 and we’ll give you a free, written estimate before any work begins.
Is duct sealing worth the cost?
Yes. Duct sealing in Fort Lauderdale costs $350 to $1,450 on average and typically pays for itself within 2 to 4 years through lower cooling bills. The bigger savings come from preventing condensation and water damage in your attic. Sealing a leaking boot for $300 is far cheaper than replacing water-damaged insulation or drywall a year later. If you’re not sure whether your ducts are leaking, call (754) 354-3644 and we’ll take a look during a free estimate.
How much does it cost to seal ductwork in a 2,000 square foot home?
In Fort Lauderdale, sealing the ductwork in a 2,000-square-foot home usually runs $650 to $1,200. The range depends on how many leaks exist, how accessible the attic is, and the age of the ductwork. Newer flex-duct systems with a few separated joints trend lower. Older systems with leaks at every takeoff trend higher. We’ll write the exact number down before any work starts. Call (754) 354-3644 for a free estimate.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace ductwork?
Repair and sealing is significantly cheaper, at $350 to $1,450 for most Fort Lauderdale homes, versus $3,500 to $8,000 for full replacement. But repair only makes sense if the ductwork is structurally sound. If the flex duct has failed inner liners or the metal has rusted through, sealing won’t hold, and replacement is the honest recommendation. We’ll tell you which one applies to your system, in writing, before you commit to anything. Call (754) 354-3644 to schedule a free estimate.
Can you fix my ducts the same day?
In many cases, yes. Single leaks and simple reconnections can often be done the same day we come out for the estimate. Larger sealing jobs are typically scheduled within a few days of the estimate. Our phones are answered by a live person 24/7, so call (754) 354-3644 and we’ll tell you when we can be there. No voicemail loops, no callback queues.
Why do duct sealing quotes vary so much in Fort Lauderdale?
Because some companies quote tape jobs and some quote mastic jobs. Others quote a low number and add charges once the technician is inside. The Garrison Standard at Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale requires a written price before any work begins, and that price does not move at the door. When you compare quotes, ask what material they’re sealing with and what the written guarantee covers. If the answer is vague, keep looking. Call (754) 354-3644 for a quote you can hold us to.
What to Expect When You Call
A live person answers. That’s the first thing, and it matters more than it sounds like it should. No voicemail, no “press 2 for service,” no callback queue. You’ll tell us what’s going on, we’ll ask a few questions about your home and your system, and we’ll schedule a free estimate at a time that works for you. The technician arrives inside the quoted window, in uniform, and introduces themselves by name.
The estimate itself is straightforward. We look at your ductwork, locate the leaks, and write down a price before anything gets touched. The price you see on the estimate is the price on the invoice. If surprises come up during the work, we stop and talk to you before proceeding. That’s not a policy. It’s how The Garrison Code requires the job to run.
Every sealing job is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If a sealed joint fails within a year, we come back at no charge, including a free second visit. Roy Castellanos leads our Fort Lauderdale team, and the standard he runs is the same one our crews have run since 2004. Show up inside the window. Price in writing. Do the work by the book. Leave the site clean.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale since 2004.
Pricing reflects the Fort Lauderdale market as of 2026. Hollis Air Duct Fort Lauderdale offers free estimates – call (754) 354-3644.
What Our Customers Say
"Dryer vent was packed with lint and took two hours to dry a load. Cleaned it out from the roof cap down. One cycle again."
- Paula Q."They checked each section with a camera and showed me the dust before and after. Thorough and honest."
- Nicole H."Pet hair all through the returns. The crew pulled out a whole bag of it. Smell is gone."
- Ana G.